PROVOKING A CALL FOR “REFORM” I knew a woman, like Patricia Clink in your
story “American Girl” [Dusty Rhodes, March 9], who was
denied Social Security disability benefits. Clink had cancer; this
woman had full-blown AIDS, and she died while her SSI application
was “on appeal.” I don’t believe the withholding
of Social Security benefits from deserving citizens is to save
money. (Congress and the president have shown they’re quite
willing to spend money for what they want, recently raising the
national debt for the fourth time in four years to almost $9
trillion!) I think the mismanagement is to provoke a public cry for
reform/privatization of the Social Security system. Lawrence C. Johnson Springfield

A RIDICULOUS REASON TO BASH BUSH I read Jim Hightower’s column to
receive my weekly chuckle, and he manages to provide one almost
every week. The “Greenland is melting” [March 16]
column is one of the best chuckles to date! Hightower managed to
use “global warming” to bash President George W. Bush
and insist that “someone tell Bush to get his butt in
gear.” Is Hightower suggesting our president has the power,
knowledge, and the ability to stop global warming? Perhaps he isn’t aware that global
warming isn’t a new occurrence? It is well documented that
most of Illinois was covered with different glaciers at three
different times in the earth’s history. So, logically thinking, some kind of global warming occurred
to melt those glaciers away, right? Because these glaciers and warming
periods occurred several thousand years ago, a president wasn’t
involved . . . right? Now, I’m not a climatologist,
scientist, geologist, or newspaper columnist. Knowing that a global
warming occurred [at least] three times before, I logically
conclude it will happen again. Perhaps now, Hightower will consider
global warming a normal, natural occurrence? Of course, if
it’s a natural occurrence, I guess there wouldn’t be
need to bash a president? That Hightower thinks a president, or
anyone, has to power to stop global warming is just too funny.
Thanks for the chuckle! Jeff Davis Dawson

DISASTER BROUGHT OUT HEROES During the storm, Springfield radio stations
WMAY, WNNS, and others provided the voices in the dark that calmed
a lot of us and gave us hope. Jim Leach and his crew were there
through the whole emergency situation. He was a ray of sunshine
through all the terror that was going on. Also, I must say that the
power companies — not only in the state, but those outside
the state that came to the aid of Springfield and other communities
— should be hailed as heroes. Our emergency-services people
also did a great job, handling the crisis. They, too, are heroes. John Rector Springfield

CORRECTIONWe misspelled the name of Illinois Times graphic
designer Matthew Schultz, who took pictures of tornado damage
[“Twist and shout,” March 16].